Everybody's Son

Kobo ebook | May 2, 2017

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about

The bestselling, critically acclaimed author of The Space Between Us and The World We Found deftly explores issues of race, class, privilege, and power and asks us to consider uncomfortable moral questions in this probing, ambitious, emotionally wrenching novel of two families—one black, one white.

During a terrible heat wave in 1991—the worst in a decade—ten-year-old Anton has been locked in an apartment in the projects, alone, for seven days, without air conditioning or a fan. With no electricity, the refrigerator and lights do not work. Hot, hungry, and desperate, Anton shatters a window and climbs out. Cutting his leg on the broken glass, he is covered in blood when the police find him.

Juanita, his mother, is discovered in a crack house less than three blocks away, nearly unconscious and half-naked. When she comes to, she repeatedly asks for her baby boy. She never meant to leave Anton—she went out for a quick hit and was headed right back, until her drug dealer raped her and kept her high. Though the bond between mother and son is extremely strong, Anton is placed with child services while Juanita goes to jail.

The Harvard-educated son of a US senator, Judge David Coleman is a scion of northeastern white privilege. Desperate to have a child in the house again after the tragic death of his teenage son, David uses his power and connections to keep his new foster son, Anton, with him and his wife, Delores—actions that will have devastating consequences in the years to come.

Following in his adopted family’s footsteps, Anton, too, rises within the establishment. But when he discovers the truth about his life, his birth mother, and his adopted parents, this man of the law must come to terms with the moral complexities of crimes committed by the people he loves most.

Heather's Review

This book will keep you totally riveted from the very first page and is my favourite piece of fiction so far this year. Everybody’s Son sets up a compelling conflict when a drug-addicted single mother temporarily loses custody of her son. The child is taken into foster care by a well-educated, loving couple, who, having recently lo...

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Reviews

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Chloe from
Great read!I got this book for Christmas - it had been on my "to-read" list for awhile. Once I picked it up I could not put it down!! A book that tells an important story, definitely gave me a different perspective on the concept of self-identity.
I had not read any of Thrity Umrigar's books before but will definitely be looking for them next time I go to Chapters :)
#plumreview

Date published: 2018-02-13

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Gwen from
Interesting Read!I read this book in a weekend. It was very good and hard to put down.
Very interesting story line and definitely not the ending I expected. :)

Date published: 2018-02-12

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Chrissybella from
Good readIn all honesty I was not expecting the outcome to be that way but then again we live in a world where absolute power and elites are always in charge and they feel that they are invincible from punishment.

Date published: 2018-02-04

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Bookworm from
Timely topicThis book touches on how race still impacts on social standing in the US. Very thought provoking. Loved the characters and couldn't put it down as I became invested in wanteing to know how life turned out. Great book!!!

Date published: 2018-01-30

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Synthia from
Page turnerGreat read. A page turner. Broadens your views a bit. There are a lot of pieces throughout the story and by the end they all fit together!

Date published: 2017-11-25

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Karyn from
Great ReadThis was one of those books where I didn't put it down. The story was interesting and made you question your own moral standings.

Date published: 2017-10-30

Rated 3 out of
5 by
g33k from
mehi hoped for a lot more out of this story; it was just ok.

Date published: 2017-10-29

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Taylor from
Good bookgreat read, would recommend it

Date published: 2017-10-24

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Amee from
Worth the ReadThis story did pull me in from start to finish. Even though I felt the pieces were all pulled together a little too neatly for my taste, I still found the story compelling.

Date published: 2017-10-22

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Cory from
Not badThe author comes highly recommended- I preferred earlier novels though. This book makes you think.

Date published: 2017-10-21

Rated 4 out of
5 by
erinep from
hard to put downWell I thought this was great. Very interesting plot.

Date published: 2017-10-10

Rated 2 out of
5 by
emmakong3 from
NOim ready for the life-enlightening-and-broadening-my-perspective story

Date published: 2017-10-08

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Cathryn from
Good, but drags at the endI read this in a single afternoon and enjoyed it a lot. I found the ending started to drag on and on, but overall the book was enjoyable and well written.

Date published: 2017-10-05

Rated 3 out of
5 by
emmakong3 from
okFound it somewhat dry at times.

Date published: 2017-10-01

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Christine from
Great storyI enjoyed the story, but found the narration a little difficult, it is written from "a fly on the wall" type perspective...other than that it was great!

Date published: 2017-09-19

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Angelica from
Wonderful book!A great story. I couldn't put it down.

Date published: 2017-09-09

Rated 4 out of
5 by
samma6610 from
yesVery pleased with this read

Date published: 2017-09-08

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Kent from
Loved itCould not put this book down it is very much worth the read

Date published: 2017-08-28

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Jessica from
Wow, read in a day!Amazing read!! I found myself attached to the characters and couldn't put this book down until I found out what happened.

Date published: 2017-08-21

Rated 5 out of
5 by
asha from
Great read!You'll have a hard time putting this book down. The book tackles themes that are relevant today including rich vs. poor, systemic racism, and one's identity. Very thought-provoking!

Date published: 2017-08-18

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Christine from
Tough topic, makes you think!This book really made me think, I read it while I was enrolled in a psychology class and the two complimented each other. The book will stick with me forever, a must read for sure!

Date published: 2017-08-12

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Thadsha from
I loved this!I bought this for my cousin and I ended up keepign for myself because this was such a good of a read!

Date published: 2017-08-08

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Sarah from
WonderfulSo thought-provoking. This book is beautifully-written and explores a lot of relevant current issues surrounding racism, privilege, consent, and family.

Date published: 2017-07-31

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Victoria from
Sad story, but brings up lots of issues relevant in today's societyI enjoyed this book so much more than Umrigar's other book called The Story Hour. I really felt for Anton (the main character) and his biological mother. I felt that the ending was a bit abrupt and disjointed from the rest of the story, but I love how Umrigar writes about race, blood vs water (family), and love, and forgiveness.

Date published: 2017-07-28

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Julia from
IncredibleGreat read, it made you question the status quo and rethink nature vs. nurture.

Date published: 2017-07-24

Rated 5 out of
5 by
sdrth from
Why is this not a NYT Best Seller yet?Loved the story to bits! Very thought-provoking and compelling.

Date published: 2017-07-19

Rated 4 out of
5 by
KKGG from
Asks tough questionsI just finished reading this book over the weekend. This book is a pleasure to read and delves into the concepts of right and wrong, race, class and family secrets. It's a people pleaser and I think most people would genuinely enjoy it.

Date published: 2017-07-17

Rated 5 out of
5 by
jones95 from
Amazing!I bought this book a few weeks ago and was finished it within 2 days! Beautifully written

Date published: 2017-07-14

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Sara from
MehOverall, the story was insanely predicable (I saw the "twist" coming from a million miles away). It started out great and then lost its pace quickly. I stopped caring about any other character other than the main character; even then, near the end, I stopped caring about him as well. Also, this was one of the most unsatisfying endings I've read in a long time, and that's coming from someone who *hates* happy-cheesy-smiley endings with a passion. It ended on a flat note.

Date published: 2017-07-10

Rated 4 out of
5 by
g33k from
loved this booksuch a great novel; you must get this!

Date published: 2017-07-05

Rated 5 out of
5 by
tania from
Loved it!One of the best books I've read this year!

Date published: 2017-07-03

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Antonello from
WonderfulEnjoyed every moment reading this story

Date published: 2017-06-29

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Sarah from
Loved It!I read this book over a span of two days and had trouble putting it down. Such a great read!

Date published: 2017-06-23

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Heather_Reisman from
Heather's PickThis book will keep you totally riveted from the very first page and is my favourite piece of fiction so far this year. Everybody’s Son sets up a compelling conflict when a drug-addicted single mother temporarily loses custody of her son. The child is taken into foster care by a well-educated, loving couple, who, having recently lost their own young son, get so attached to the child they look for a way to keep him well past the three months originally anticipated. There’s so much humanity in this story. I was hooked after the first page and literally could not put it down. Don’t miss this one!

Date published: 2017-06-19

Rated 5 out of
5 by
mira from
AmaizingI was left in awe of this book, a simple yet beautiful story

Date published: 2017-06-16

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Maya from
Interesting read...It tells an interesting story but it takes more than half of the novel to get into the actual dilemma...

Date published: 2017-06-11

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Ainsley from
Very InspirationalGreat book, definitely worth a read!

Date published: 2017-06-05

Rated 3 out of
5 by
KiraYoshikage from
sexy to bootgreat stuff mind boggling.

Date published: 2017-05-09

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Antonello from
Really goodI was truly impressed with this book